


Wish For a Second Chance

by Alayne_Hill



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Goblins, Wishes, Years Later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-03-10 04:44:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3277196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alayne_Hill/pseuds/Alayne_Hill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six years after defeating the Labyrinth, Sarah accidentally lets the Goblin King back into her life, and he will not leave that easily. </p>
<p>After all, she said the words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Jareth, Sarah, and all Labyrinth-related stuff belong to Jim Henson, George Lucas, and Brian Froud. 
> 
> Not beta-ed, I apologize for any mistake, but English is not my first language.
> 
> kudos and comments deeply appreciated since it's my first fan fiction :)

It was a Friday afternoon of late September, and Sarah Williams was sitting under a tree in the park where she used to hang out when she was younger. The sun was playing hide and seek with some clouds, but it was still warm enough to enjoy staying outside. The leaves on the trees were already turning yellow and red, and Sarah usually loved to just sit and draw all the colors of the fall. Acting had always been her greatest passion, but she soon realized drawing was her favorite hobby. After graduating from high school she had decided to set her dreams of theater stages and costumes aside and follow another, more practical interest: architecture.

That day, however, all she could draw were sad faces and grim scenes. After finishing the sketch of a man bleeding on a bench, she crumpled it and threw it behind her back.

"Paper ball!" yelled Pymp, running to grab it. It was already the fifth ball of paper the Lady threw away. He opened it and skeptically looked at the drawing. "Me don't like it" he said, and put it with the others he had no interest in.

"I'm sorry Pymp, but apparently today the muse has her back turned on me." she sighed, leaning back against the solid trunk.

Pymp went to sit beside her, patting her leg "Why is Lady sad?" he asked, looking at her with big yellow eyes. He was a small goblin, with short black hair and big pointy ears. With his huge eyes and his sweet smile, he was really cute. He had taken the habit of sleeping in Sarah's drawer short after her adventure Underground.

_The Underground._

Sarah closed her eyes and sighed again. It had been six years since she had wished Toby away and run that damned Labyrinth. Six years during which she had grown up, understood that life is not fair and that nothing was always what it seemed. She still talked with her "special" friends from time to time, as they had managed to keep the connection with a mirror in her apartment in the university campus. That experience had indeed enhanced the relationship with her brother and step-mother, although she would never really see Karen as a mom. Toby, on the other hand, was the apple of her eye. He was now a lively boy of seven who loved to role play with his sister and couldn't fall asleep without a bedtime story.

Sarah smiled at the thought of her little brother, and frowned when her thoughts led her to the person she never really wanted to think of: the Goblin King. In the first weeks after her adventure, she had played those last moments in her head over and over again, fighting that part of her that believed in the truth of those words. No, it had only been another trick, a lie, to distract her and make her lose Toby. The other memory that kept haunting her was the one of the crystal ballroom. She could still recall the song he had sung her, feel his hand on her hip, his eyes staring at her...

"My Lady?" the small voice of Pymp brought her back to reality. She shook her head and smiled down at him

"I'm sorry Pymp, my mind can't seem to find peace today."

"Lady want cookie?" he said, offering her a chocolate chip from the box she had prepared for him. Needless to say, goblins  _adored_  cookies. And socks, but that was another story.

She smiled and shook her head before taking the pencil and starting to draw again. Not too far away, a barn owl was observing them from the high branch of a tree. Sarah kept drawing for a while, her mind lost again in that colorful ballroom, the melody he had sung filling her head while her hand run on the piece of paper, not paying attention at the clouds that were now covering the sun almost completely. She looked up as a thunder boomed in the sky.

"Damn." she said, looking at the dark clouds "Maybe we should go back."

Pymp nodded, scared, snuggling against her side. He glanced at the piece of paper on her lap and jumped up "Pymp like this _a lot_!" he yelled, pointing at her sketchbook.

Sarah looked down and blushed. Staring back at her was the portrait of the Goblin King himself, surrounded by human figures wearing masks.

"Pymp can have?" she heard the goblin whisper hopefully.

She frowned "It's not finished yet, Pymp." She bit her lip in frustration. It wasn't the first time she had thought about him with such intensity to sketch some lines of his face, but she had always stopped herself from going any further, chasing the memory away. Now she had finally let her thoughts guide her hand without questioning them, and the intensity of her current emotions startled her. Did she actually miss him? No, that couldn't be. She had never really known him, not that she wished to. He was the villain, a cruel, selfish, and vicious man who had kidnapped her brother and tried to kill her.

_Now that's a bit exaggerated, don't you think?_ An inner voice whispered in her head.

She shook her head. _He sent the cleaners after me!_   _And he drugged me!_

But the melancholy that was filling her at the thought of was very real, almost as if she had never gotten over that dance in the crystal ballroom. She remembered how afraid she had been, wandering among the masked guests, feeling that something was wrong, but at the same time that she needed to find someone... and how safe she had felt in his arms once she had found him.

Sarah had not felt so safe ever again afterwards.

Yes, there had been some love affairs in the following years, obviously. She had unconsciously tried to find that warming thrill in Jack, Mike, and Paul, but all she could feel for each of them had been no more than a detached affection. She cared for them and enjoyed their company, but either with or without them, her life had always been the same. She had thought to be on the right track with Taylor. He was smart, handsome, and he made her feel like the most important woman in the world. But even he had proved her wrong, and that was exactly the reason why she had ended up on the grass in the park, drawing bleeding men.

She sighed, closing her eyes. "I wish I could feel whole again"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am *so sorry* for this delay. Life got in the way, I moved to another country, started a completely new chapter of my life... Anyway, here's chapter 2 - hope you guys are still hooked!

Chapter Two

The barn owl on the tree shuddered. Upon hearing the wish, he felt deep inside him something click as the magical chains that kept him from entering Sarah's life disappeared. After all that time, she had finally called for him. He knew the day would come, after all the years passed silently watching over her, after she had destroyed his Kingdom and his heart, she had finally opened herself to the past. Eager, the owl he spread his wings and flew closer to the girl, landing on a branch right above her.

Sarah still had her eyes closed and was resting her head against the tree trunk, her hands on her lap, while Pymp admired her latest drawing. The eyes of the Goblin King shone with satisfaction as he noticed the unmistakable subject of the portrait.

Sarah opened her eyes and frowned, uneasiness spreading from her gut. She had the sensation being watched, so she looked around, but the park was deserted. She gathered her things and stood up, ready to go home, but as she turned and took a few steps, she saw a tall figure approaching and froze.

_This can't be real... I must be dreaming_. She thought as she stared bewildered at the man who had come to stand just a few feet in front of her. He looked barely like the man who had haunted her dreams - dressed in tight black jeans and a dark grey woolen sweater, his blonde hair tamed back into a loose ponytail - but even if he looked incredibly human, those mismatched eyes couldn't belong to any other man.

_Goblin King_. Her mouth opened but no sound came out, so she closed it again.

He smiled at her - not the creepy and mischievous smile he was constantly wearing during her time in the Labyrinth, but a more genuine, happy one.

“Sarah” he said, sending a shiver down her spine. His voice was deeper than she remembered, and more sensual. He didn't move, just stood waiting for her reaction.

Wide eyed, Sarah tried to shake herself out of the stupor. Why on earth would he choose to reappear in her life right that day? What was _wrong_ with that day, what with the depressed sketches and the melancholic memories? And then  _He_ suddenly appears out of nowhere. 

_Things really couldn't get worse.._. she thought just as the first raindrops started falling from the sky, kissing her cheeks.  _Oh, right_. She straightened her back and looked right into the man's eyes. “Hello, Goblin King” she said, quite proud of how she managed to keep her voice steady.

“Hello, Sarah.” Jareth bowed his head. “It has been quite a while since we last met.”

She nodded. “What are you doing here?"

He cocked an eyebrow, a small smile still playing on his lips. “Now Sarah, there is no need to bee grumpy. I was merely curious to see how your life is going, how your sweet family is doing.” 

“Everything was great until a moment ago, when my teenage nightmare appeared out of nowhere." She took a brave step forward and pushed herself to walk past him. “Now, if you don't mind, I gotta go home.”

“Sarah, wait.” he called.

Against better judgement, Sarah stopped, but didn't turn around to look at him. “What?" She stared at the trees in front of her, her heart clenched painfully. "It's been six years, Goblin King. It's too late to come back and try to trick me into running your damn Labyrinth again.”

Jareth frowned. He had expected some wariness on her part, but he disliked her angry tone. “Sarah” he walked past her and turned to face her, searching her eyes. “I am not here to trick you back into the Labyrinth.” He lifted her chin with two gloved fingers to make her look at him, but Sarah jerked her head back and scowled at him. “It's been six years, yes, but the reason why I haven't shown myself to you until now is because I couldn't.”

She looked at him skeptically, but before she could say anything he spoke again.

“You have no power over me, Sarah.” Jareth said gently.

She looked at him, surprised to hear the very words she was about to say coming out of his mouth.

“Yes, Sarah, that is still very true. Which is exactly why I couldn't reveal myself. Not until you summoned me.”

Sarah's heart stopped. “Wait. Wait, what? I didn't! I never _summoned_ you!”

Jareth grinned. “Sara, Sarah... You do remember that words have power, and you did summon me, otherwise I would not be standing in front of you.”

Sarah blinked, confused and a little scared. “But.. I didn't...” then realization hit her like a truck. She had said _the words._ The words she had never let herself mutter out loud, while remembering the very person she had never let herself think of .. _Damn, how do I get myself out of this?_

Jareth observed the young woman in front of him, how she connected the pieces and came to fully understand what she had done. “So you will agree with me, you _did_ call for me.” He said, smug.

Sarah looked at him, angry “Fine. I might have wished for something."

Jareth cocked an eyebrow, knowing just as well as she do that that was not the full extent of it.

" _Fine_ ,  _you_ might have been... involved.. in the wishing." Sarah mumbled, looking away. "But." She raised a finger. "That doesn't mean that I..."

"... Meant it?" Jareth finished for her, an amused smile teasing her. “My, my, Sarah. Will you ever learn? What's said is said”. He clasped his hands together, noticing that the rain was now coming down quite fast and wondering if he should try to magically transport them somewhere else. The current weather was definitely not ideal for the moment he had been waiting for for too long.

Sarah frowned, annoyed at being called out. “What do you want, Goblin King?”

He smiled down at her “Why, Sarah, you know who I am and what I do for a living, or used to." He took a step closer to her and bent down to whisper near her ear: "I have come to fulfill your wish.”

Sarah's jaw dropped, and she pushed him away from her. “You what?!” The air had suddenly gone very cold, she felt exposed and helpless - just like she had felt all those years ago. Raising the hood of her coat over her head, Sarah crossed her arms on her chest, hugging herself, and tried to calm down the storm that was in her head. She was torn between anger and fear, although part of her felt strangely, almost.. happy. At the realization, Sarah shook her head vigorously and picked up her things.

“I gotta go” she started walking away from the man of her nightmares (or dreams?), but he stopped her again.

“Sarah, please.” he grabbed her arm and squeezed it gently. “Give me another chance.”

She gave him a harsh look. “ _Another_ chance?! To what? Try to kidnap me? Kidnap my _brother_? Get some sort of revenge on me?”

The intensity of her outburst made him let go of her arm, and something incredibly close to _hurt_ colored his handsome face. “I am sorry, Sarah. I know this must not be easy for you. Perhaps we should go somewhere warm and... talk?” He tried his best to look as innocent and truthful as he, well, was.

“Just talk? Have some tea and a chat about goblin soccer?” Sarah still looked suspicious.

“Just talk, about... life.” He offered her his arm. “Please, Sarah.”

Sarah stared at the man in front of her for some moments, hesitant, feeling helpless and confused, but also incredibly curious and fascinated by this turn of events.

She took his arm and they started walking together.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for your feedback and for sticking with me even though I'm terrible at updating regularly! :) Enjoy

Chapter Three

 

The rain was coming down fast as they made their way out of the park, thunders echoing in the distance. Sarah cursed softly and hugged her bag tighter against her chest, a frustrated huff escaping her lips. Jareth let go of her hand and put an arm around her shoulders, causing her body to go stiff in half annoyance and half excitement, which she tried to suppress quite aggressively. She opened her mouth to tell the man off, but before she could yell at him, Sarah noticed the big blue umbrella that had appeared out of nowhere and was now shielding them both from the rain. Biting her lip, Sarah turned her head the other way and pouted at the cars passing by.

They found a small café not far from the park and hurried inside, the thought of a warm drink temporarily distracting Sarah from the absurd and incredible turn that her day had taken. She went straight to the smiling barista – a short Canadian girl that recognized her from all the afternoons she had spent there drawing and drinking her bodyweight in coffee – and ordered a hot chocolate, the biggest size, _with_ whipped cream _and_ marshmallows, thank you very much.

“Treating yourself today, eh? Did you ace an exam or something?” the barista – Kate – asked.

“Quite the opposite actually, I need an emergency dose of sugar-induced high.” Sarah forced a smile, sensing the Goblin King standing quite close to her. She saw Kate nod and give her another smile, then raise her eyes to look at the man behind her, whom Sarah could only imagine was probably charming her with his mismatched blue eyes and that cocky grin…

“Are you two together?” Kate asked, a rosy blush spreading on her cheeks.

“Indeed we are, my dear. I’ll have a cup of Earl Grey tea.” came Jareth’s smooth reply, accompanied by a gloved hand holding out a credit card.

_Wait, what?_ Sarah’s head turned so fast, she felt something pull painfully in her neck. Since when could fairy creatures open a bank account? Jareth caught her shocked expression and winked at her.

Sarah scowled, stalking to the only empty table she could find, right in the most secluded corner of the shop. The place was full of students working on their laptops or chatting together, completely oblivious of the powerful and dangerous creature that had taken off his coat and waved his hand, instantly drying up both his and Sarah’s clothes.

Still frowning, Sarah muttered a “Thank you.” 

They sat in silence until a tall and gawky boy brought their drinks, placing them on the table and giving the odd pair a curious look. To the ignorant observer, it was a close call between a young professor hanging out with one of his students, or a very lucky and undeserving girl having a hot date – that is, if you asked the group of giggling teenagers slurping up their smoothies on the couches near the entrance.

Jareth took the teabag out of his steaming cup and added some milk, stirring lazily and waiting for Sarah to make the first move, suddenly insecure of his own actions. He knew their situation was quite delicate, and he didn’t want to ruin his only chance to start anew. While he waited for his tea to cool down a little, he observed the young woman sitting in front of him. He had not yet let himself think about how much she had changed, how she had managed to become even more beautiful. Her hair was cut to the shoulders, framing her face in dark waves, making her fair skin and emerald green eyes stand out. She looked ethereal, but the fierceness in her eyes and the determined set of her jaw betrayed the brave and stubborn character that had allowed her to defeat him all those years ago.

If he let himself be honest, he knew he could never resist her. Not then, not now. 

Sarah, on her part, was quietly mixing her whipped cream with the hot chocolate, casting quick glances at the man in front of her, confused as to what he wanted to ‘talk about’. She wondered if perhaps he had found out that she had been communicating with her friends – the shy and grumpy Hoggle, the kind Ludo, and the overenthusiastic Sir Didymus – quite regularly for all those years, and worried immensely for them. She couldn’t bear the thought of her companions being harmed because of her, so she straightened her back and looked at him, locking her eyes with his.

“Is this about the mirrors?” she asked.

Jareth’s eyes widened, surprised that she had spoken and quite confused. “The mirrors? What mirrors?”

Sarah pointed the spoon she was holding at him. “Don’t play dumb, the mirrors I use to communicate with Hoggle and the others. If something’s happened to them, I swear I’ll kick your glittery ass. _Again_.”

A shocked silence fell between them, before Jareth dissolved into laughter. “My dear Sarah, I can assure you that your friends have nothing to do with my presence here. As far as I know, they are living their lives in utter tranquility, although I have always been aware they were in contact with you.”  And he was quite jealous of that, but he would never admit it.

Sarah’s whole body relaxed, but remained alert. She was pleased to find out that the Goblin King was aware of the link between her and her friends from the Labyrinth, and that he wasn’t against it. She took a sip of her hot chocolate, the sweet liquid warming her from inside, making her relax even more. Should she worry that he might have magically spiked it or something? Looking at the man in front of her, Sarah found herself quite sure that he had not, and she trusted that instinct without questioning it.

“This is awkward.” She said after a while, her hot chocolate now half gone.

 Jareth raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his tea. “How so?” 

“You and me, sitting here, like… like _normal people_. As if you weren’t who you are, and I hadn’t done do what I did.”

The corners of Jareth’s lips turned up in amusement. “The circumstances in which we met were quite extraordinary, Sarah, but I can assure you I am capable of behaving like a perfect _human_ gentleman.” He paused and raised the cup to his lips, her smile now openly teasing her.

Despite her resolution to not let herself fall prey of his charms, Sarah’s own lips quirked up. “Well, I have to admit this.” She moved her hand between the two of them. “Is the last possible scenario I could’ve imagined happening if I ever met you again.”

“I hope it doesn’t come as a disappointment.”

 


End file.
